• Medical students continue protest over blackout in UCH
• Tax Reform Bill passes second reading 
• FG likely to ban tricks and tankers from moving during the day
• NLC instructs members to boycott Airtel, Glo and MTN and schedules protest for March 1
• Tems becomes co-owner of a football club

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

Medical students continue protest over blackout in UCH

Medical students at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Oyo State, are set to resume their protests today (Thursday, February 13) over the ongoing power outage affecting the institution.

This renewed protest is a response to the fact that Alexander Brown Hall and Ayodele Falase Postgraduate Hall were not included in the recent power restoration efforts at UCH, despite the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, assuring that electricity would be fully restored within 48 hours.

In a statement titled “Notice of Comprehensive Continuous Protest,” the President of the UI Students’ Union, Aweda Bolaji, and General Secretary Ogundijo Dolapo urged students to gather at the main gate of UCH at 7 a.m. to begin the protest.

Tax Reform Bill passes second reading 

The House of Representatives discussed the four tax bills sent to the National Assembly for approval by President Bola Tinubu. 

The bills passed their second reading after lawmakers agreed on the debated Value Added Tax (V.A.T) aspects during the plenary session. 

In 2024, President Bola Tinubu submitted four tax bills to the National Assembly for evaluation and approval based on the suggestions from the Presidential Task Force on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, led by Taiwo Oyedele.

FG likely to ban tricks and tankers from moving during the day

The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, has announced that it might prohibit trucks with a capacity of 60,000 litres from using federal highways. 

This potential ban is a response to the increasing fatalities associated with petrol tanker accidents, which have resulted in 493 deaths over the last three years. 

In a proposal to various stakeholders, the FG suggests that tankers be restricted to a maximum capacity of 45,000 litres.

NLC instructs members to boycott Airtel, Glo and MTN and schedules protest for March 1 

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked all its members to boycott telecommunication company providers like Airtel, MTN, and Glo from February 13 to 28 due to the 50% rise in tariff prices.

“The CWC demands an immediate reversal of the tariff hike, which took effect today, and insists that the companies revert to the previous tariff until the committee completes its deliberations and reaches a conclusive agreement. As a first step in resisting this arbitrary tariff hike, the CWC has directed that beginning Thursday, February 13, 2025, Nigerian workers and other willing citizens shall boycott the services of MTN, Airtel, and Glo daily between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM until the end of February 2025,” the Central Working Committee released a communiqué.

NLC’s President Joe Ajaero warned that there would be a total strike across the country if all telecoms refuse to revert their tariff prices by February 28.

Tems becomes co-owner of a football club

Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems announced that she is a co-owner of a football club named ‘San Diego FC’.

The Grammy-winning singer stated that she was excited to join the team as she has always been a soccer fan, which was a dream come true.

Upon co-owning the football team, Tems is now the first African female artist to be directly involved with football club ownership.

“To be very honest, music and sports are similar in that they give opportunities to young talents and generations coming up,” Tems said.